Simple Beginnings: Beading. Aiden Byrne

g grated Parmesan cheese

      baby basil cress, to garnish

      salt and pepper

      PEEL AND ROUGHLY CHOP the carrot, shallot and garlic, put them in an ovenproof pan and cook to slightly caramelize. Add the thyme sprigs and place the lettuce on top. Cover with the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper and cover. Braise in a preheated oven at 140°C/275°F/gas 1 for about 1 hour or until the lettuce is soft.

      MEANWHILE, roll out the pastry and cut 4 circles 4 cm across. Any unused pastry can be frozen for use later. Place the circles between two baking trays (see page 46) and cook in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 20–25 minutes. Remove the top baking tray and cook for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

      LINE FOUR SMALL blini pans with clingfilm and layer the tomato confit ‘petals’ in the bottom, leaving an overhang of tomato pieces to fold over later.

      WHEN THE LETTUCE is cool chop it fairly coarsely, mix in the torn basil leaves and pack into the blini pans on top of the tomatoes. Once the tart is full, fold the petals back over to seal in the lettuce. Allow to sit for a couple of hours.

      USE A SMALL knife to peel away the skins from the courgettes. Discard the flesh and finely chop the skins. Cook the skins in a warm, covered pan with the butter until they are soft. Season and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth, pass through your finest sieve and chill immediately over a bowl of iced water.

      TO SERVE, reheat the tomato and lettuce in a steamer. Turn it out on the tart bases, sprinkle Parmesan over the tomato and put in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 for 10 minutes. The cheese will melt, the base will stay crisp and the tart should be piping hot. Warm the courgette purée through and spoon a little onto each plate and garnish with the baby basil cress.

      The main ingredients in this recipe are at their best at roughly the same time of year. The creamy pine nuts, the sweetness from the ripe peaches, the pungent flavour from the basil and the acidity from the tomatoes make this a well-balanced summer starter. Look for peaches that have a yellow or creamy colour (these will be the sweetest) and avoid any that are too soft because they will spoil very quickly.

      Tomato and Peach Salad with Pine Nut Vinaigrette

      SERVES 4

      2 large Heritage tomatoes (any colour)

      4 ripe peaches

      25 g caster sugar

      3 leaves gelatine, softened

      4 cherry tomatoes

      50 g pine nuts

      25 ml sherry vinegar

      100 ml olive oil

      50 ml double cream, semi-whipped

      1 handful of baby basil

      salt and pepper

      USE A 2 CM diameter pastry cutter to cut out four fondant shapes from one of the tomatoes and from one of the peaches. Put these in the refrigerator.

      CHOP THE REMAINING peach and put the flesh in a saucepan with 50 ml water and the sugar. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until the peach is soft. Add the gelatine and stir to dissolve. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve and allow to set in a bowl in the refrigerator.

      MEANWHILE, plunge the cherry tomatoes in boiling water for no more than 10 seconds, remove and plunge immediately into iced water. The skins will peel away easily.

      SLIGHTLY TOAST the pine nuts, chop them and mix them with the sherry vinegar and the oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

      WHEN THE PEACH jelly is set fold in the whipped cream until it is fully incorporated and return to the refrigerator.

      CUT THE REMAINING tomato into four slices and arrange them on four small salad plates. Dress the cherry tomatoes and the peach and tomato fondants in the pine nut vinaigrette and arrange them next to the tomato slices. Spoon some peach mousse onto each plate, sprinkle over the basil and dress with a little more pine nut vinaigrette.

      If you’ve already made a batch of beetroot purée for a recipe this is another great way to use it. This can be served with a main course, such as roasted venison, or simply as a starter on its own. Alternatively make the risotto in advance, let it go cold, roll into small balls and coat with a tempura batter and deep-fry – perfect as canapés.

      Beetroot and Vodka Risotto

      SERVES 4

      100 g Parmesan cheese

      50 ml white chicken stock (see page 199)

      1 quantity risotto base (see page 209)

      ½ quantity beetroot purée (see page 204)

      vodka, to taste

      lemon juice (optional)

      salt (optional)

      GRATE 75 G of the cheese and shave the remaining 25 g with a vegetable peeler.

      IN A LARGE, flat-bottomed pan heat the chicken stock and reheat the risotto in the hot stock. Fold in the beetroot purée and grated Parmesan and add the vodka to taste. If liked, adjust the seasoning with a touch of salt and a dash of lemon juice.

      SERVE IN four bowls scattered with the shaved Parmesan.

      This basic, rather rustic dish can be served in the finest of restaurants and will be appreciated by the most discerning of diners. I use De Cecco macaroni tubes (Zita .18) which you will find in good Italian delicatessens. I also use frozen peas for the purée – they give a fresher, sweeter taste than fresh ones because you don’t have to cook them for so long. It’s also worth spending a few extra pence on good-quality frozen peas.

      Parmesan Macaroni with Peas and Ricotta Gnocchi

      SERVES 4

      100 g frozen peas

      300 ml vegetable stock (see page 198)

      60 g butter

      1 quantity ricotta gnocchi (see page 208)

      100 g Zita .18 macaroni tubes

      1 quantity of béchamel sauce (see page 205)

      50 g Parmesan cheese, grated

      2 egg yolks

      300 g fresh peas

      4 asparagus spears

      2 tablespoons chopped chervil

      1 tablespoon of chopped dill

      pea shoots or chervil, to garnish

      salt and pepper

      MAKE THE PEA PURÉE. Put the peas, 100 ml of the vegetable stock, the butter and some seasoning into a pan and bring to the boil. Transfer immediately to a blender and blend until smooth. Pass through your finest sieve into a bowl over iced water to keep the colour.

      PREPARE THE RICOTTA gnocchi as on page 208, adding 50 g pea purée to the mixture. Cook